Printing-plate holder.



PATENTED NOV. 12, 1907.

' 0. P. ROGKSTROH. PRINTING PLATE 1101mm.

APPLICATION FILED DEU- B. 1905.

am/m CHARLES F, ROOKSTROH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y

- COMPANY, OF ORANGE, NEW

ASSIGNOR TO ROCKSTROH-MA NUFACTURIN G JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PRINTING-PLATE HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 1907.

Application filed December 8. 1905. Serial No. 290.873-

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, CnARLns F. Rocxs'rnoir, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond Hills,

v in-thc county of Queens, city and State of NewYork,

have invented an Improvement in Printing-Plate Holders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the devices employed for securing printing-plates to the slotted bed or foundation supporting the same in electrotype, stereotype and other printing processes, and the same is an improvement upon the clamping device shown and described in Letters Patent granted to me January 26, 1904, No. 750,395. In this patent the tumbler or slot engaging devices are freely movable upon the revoluble screw stem on the printingplate hold er, the same usually moving according to the direction of movement of the screw. It is therefore necessary to make sure that said devices are in engagement with the walls of the slots.

The device of my present invention comprises a spring actuated member adapted toautomatically engage the wall or walls of the slot of the grooved printing-plate foundation. This spring actuated device or member is preferablyin the form of a spring actuated tumbler adapted to come into engagingflposition at once when the printing-plate holder is placed down in a slotted groove of the printing-plate bed or foundation so as to prevent accidental vertical displacement of the register hook or printingplate holder.

I prefer to provide each groove or slot with undercut shouldered side walls for engagement by said spring actuated device; the details of the structure are here inafter more particularly described.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a plan representing a bed or printing-plate foundation support with a printingplate in position secured thereto by clamp devices. Fig. 2 is a side elevation representing a clamp device according to my invention. Fig. 3 is an elevation at the right hand end of the parts shown in Fig. 2, also showing said parts in position in the slotted bed or foundation. Fig. 4 is an elevation of'the parts shown in Fig. 2 at the right hand end, and Fig. 5 is a plan of the parts shown in Fig. 2.

The bed or plate support a of integral formation is provided with series of slots 2 or grooves running parallel to oneancther and another series of slots or grooves 3 at right angles to the series 2.

Between the slots of the respective series there 'remain intervening squares a and while each slot is 12 points or 1 pica wide, each intervening square is 36 points or 3 pica in either direction according to the well known form of type measurement.

By reference to Fig. 3 it will be apparent that these slots are of the same width at the top and at the bottom,

and that at an appreciable distance below the top surface of the plate support or slotted foundation the intervening squares are undercut and shouldered to broaden the slots or grooves, the said slots or grooves therefore being formed with undercut shouldered portions and with side walls 4, 5, that converge toward the base'of theslots.

In Fig. 1 is shown an application of my invention in which an electrotype,. stereotype or other printingplate b is held in position by my improved clamp devices which may be those shown in the aforesaid Letters Patent 750,395 or those of the present application. These clamp devices are to be dropped, or in other words, passed freely down into the slots or grooves of the bed or foundation support and when they are to be vremoved they are raised bodily vertically out of the slots or grooves, and while my improved clamp device is applicable in connection with a bed or foundation support for securing thereto electrotype, stereotype or other printing-plates; it is especially adapted for use where there are narrow margins, or in other words, where adjacent edges of two printing-plates come comparatively close together. The essential feature of the invention being the spring actuated character of the clamp whereby the device preventing accidental displacement takes up its position automatically the moment that the clamp device is placed down in the slot or groove of the bed engaging the shouldered or undercut walls of the same.

The clamp device essentially comprises an elongated narrow body '0 of a width adapted to pass freely down into a slot or groove of a bed or foundation support.

In height the body agrees substantially with the depth of the slots or grooves of the bed, andthe same is elongated to a desired or predeterminedextent; said body being provided with a jaw r formed on the upper surface and placed transversely to the body so that when in use it extends from the upper surface of the bed, and the same is undercut on its advancing edge so as to take a bearing over the inclined edge of the printing-plal;e. This body is longitudinally apertured and interiorly threaded so as to receive a revohrble screw stem d adapted by'its rotation to move the said body longitudinally along in a groove or slot in either direction.

A pinion e is secured to one end of the revoluble I screw stem (1 and adjacent to and outside of said pinion is a thrust-platef having on its outer face a guide block 9 agreeing substantially in width with the width of the slot or groove.

The thrust-plate in one of the slots of the bed extends across a slot running in the opposite direction and bears upon the walls of the slot at right angles to the slot occupied by the body of the clamp device at the same time said thrust-plate bears against the faces of the two intervening squares a; the pinion being received in the same'slot' as the thrustplate and the guide block passes down between opposite faces of two squares fitting in the same groove as isoccupied by the revoluble screw stern and the body of the clamp device.

A rack such as is shown in my before mentioned patent may be employed to turn or revolve the pinion e .and with it the screw stem d, for by these devices the .body of the clamp device must be moved along to the desired position in the groove, the thrust plate compelling this movement.

As a means of securing the clamp device to the bed or slotted foundation and in the slots or grooves'thereof, and prevent the accidental removal ofthe same, I employ a spring actuated member.

In Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive h represents a tumbler apertured and interiorly threaded to receive the revolu ble screw stem d. A part of this tumbler fits up closely against the end of the elongated body and a part of the (the tumbler and performs the f unction of bearing the tumbler is prolonged to extend over a part of the elongated body that is cut away; this is shown essentially 'in Fig.- 2. The lower edge of this tumbler is provided by preference with the recess h and the lower portion of the elongated body c is provided with an aperture 6; the spring 2' passing through this aperture 6 and at its left hand end (Fig. 2 througlra hole in the body where .it 'is secured, the aperture 6 being 'very much larger than the spring wire so as to permit the free movement of the same. The fastening of said wire being at 7 in the body 0.

The free end of the spring i bears in the recess h of tumbler toward one side. See Figs. 3 and 5.

Thenormal position in which this spring'i holds the tumbler h is substantially shown in Fig. 3, and the After the parts pass down into the slot of the bed or v foundation, and the tumbler passes below the shouldered portionoi the slot or groove, the spring turns the tumbler into an undercut part of the slot or groove so that the upper end of the tumbler bears beneath the shouldered portion, while one side of the tumbler lies substantially parallel with one converging will of the slot so as to hold the clamp device down in the slot in position against any force that may be exerted in clamping the printing-plate to the bed, and which would tend to cause accidental displacement or lifting a of the clamp device.

To remove the clamp device from the slot or groove of the bed or foundation, it is only necessary to bring the tumbler h into a vertical position by any suitable instrumcntality and then bodily raise the device out of the groove.

I claim as my invention: i

1. The combination with an integrally formed pinto foundation having series ofgrooves thcrcin provided with an undercut shouldered side Wall, of a register hook having its base in one of said grooves, said register hook being providcd wilh means for longitudinal adjustment and a spring nctuntcd tumbler for engaging under the shoulder of said side wall for retaining the hook within the groove.

2. in combination with an integrally formed supporting bed for printing plates, having grooves with undercut and shouldered sides and walls downwardly extending from the undercut portions, a clamp device for engaging and holding printing plates to said bed having a spring actuated tumbler adapted to come under the shouldered portions of the said groove.

3. In combination with an integrally formed supporting bed for printing plates having grooves and undercut and shouldered sides and walls downwardly extending from the undercut portions, a clamp devicefor engaging-and hold:

ing printing plates to said bed, comprising an elongated body portion with a clamping jaw, a revoluble screw stem, means for fixing the position of said screw stein in'a transverse .groove to that occupiedby the elongated body for moving said body lengthwis e of said groove -and a spring actuated tumbler adapted to come under the shouldered portions of the said groove for retaining 'the clamp device within the groove. 1 I v 4;. In combination with an integrally formed supporting bed for printing plates having grooves and undercut and shouldered sides and walls downwardly extending from the undercut portions, a clamp device for engaging and holding printing plates to said .bed, comprising an elongated body portion with a clamping jaw, a revoluble screw stem,

means for fixing the position of said screw stem in a trans vcrsc groove -to that occupied by the elongated body for moving said body lengthwise of said groove, and a spring actuated member apertured and inter iorly threaded to re-, ceive said revoluble screw stem by which it is carried, said spring actuated member being adapted to come under the shouldered portions of said groove for. retaining the clamp device in position. 1 I

5. A clamp mechanism for holding a printing plate to a grgoyed bed or foundation, consisting of the clamp and a spring actuated tumbler device adapted to engage in a groove in the bed and thereby secure the clamp to the bed, substantially as specified.

6. A clamp device for holding aprinting plate 'to' a grooved bed or foundation, said clamp device comprising a body portion longitudinally apertured and interiorly threaded and adapted to pass freely downinto a slot or groove of the bed, and having a jaw formed on the upper surface and placed transversely to the body and undercut on its advancing edge so as to take a bearing over the inclined edge of a printing plate, a revoluble screw stem passing through the screw threaded aperture in the body portion and adapted by its rotation to move the body 1ongitudinally along in a groove or slot in the bed in either direction, and a spring actuated tumbler for retaining the clamp device in the groove.

7. A clamp device for holding a printing plate to a grooved bed or foundation; comprising a body portion longitudinally upcrtnred and interior-1y threaded and adapted to pass-freely down into a slot or groove inthe bed, and

having 'a jaw on the upper surface placed transversely to the body, a revolubie screw stem passing through the screw threaded aperture in the body portion and adapted by its rotation to move the body longitudinally along in a groove in the bed in either direction, and a spring actuated member longitudinally upertured and interiorly threaded to receive the said revoluble screw stem by which it is carried, said spring actuated member being adapted to retain the clamp device within a groove in the bed or foundation.

8. A clamp device for use in the grooves of a bed for holding printing plates thereto, the same consisting of a body portion having va jaw, a means for moving the same lengthwise, a stop device against which such movement is effected, a pivoted tumbler for holding the clamp device to the bud and a spring acting thereon to. moyethe tumbler to one side into operative position.

9. A clamp device for use in the grooves of a bed for holding printing plates thereto, comprising a body portion having u jnw, a means for moving the some lengthwise, a stop device against which such movement is effected, a latornlly swinging shoulder engaging member, and a separate spring acting thereon to operate said laterally swinging shoulder engaging member.

Signed by me this seventh day of December 1905.

CHAS. F. ROCKSTROII.

Witnesses Geo. '1. luxcxxny, i l. ZACllAlUASEN. 

